St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-05
DANiA HALL, MINNEAPOLIS.

evening festival at the DANA hall, cor
ner of Cedar avenue and Fifth street
south, in which all the prominent Danes
of the bustling Twin Cities will partici-
pate. The programme includes first
prologue, written by A. c. Nelson,
and which will be delivered
by AXel Kringelbach. Then music
Of Danish composition Will be furnished
by an orchestra. Thirdly, an address
by C.Neumann on the days significance
to the Danes, and, lastly, an address by
the Rev. Kristofer Janson. Several
musical numbers. including quartette
and solo songs, will be rendered during
the execution of the programme. and a
ball will close the event. The st. Paul
Danish society will participate in the
holiday ceremony. Last year the cele-
bratiOn was made very imposing one,
on the occasion of the laying of the cor
ner stone of Dania hall. Since then the
structure, under the supervision of the
well known Norwegian architect, Struck,
has long been completed.
ORIGIN oFsTHE CELEBRATION.
The kingdom of Denmark, once a
considerable power in Europe. is now,
alike in extent and in population, one
of the smallest independent countries
of the civilized world. Since the loss
comprises an area of some $1,000 square
miles and has about 100000 inhabit-
ants. being thus considerably inferior
in population to Switzerland, although
almost equal in area. 1t is essentially
an inSuiar kingdom. much like Great
Britain, its only continental territory
being the peninsula of Jutland. It's a
smiling country of coFnield and
meadow, of lake and forest. with tall
groves of beech fringing its shores, and
rejecting, indeed, bright, autumnal
tintS in the calm waters of bay and
ford.
The Danish nation is small as tonum-
bers. but it has been prolific of distin-
guiShed men, particularly men Of sci
ence and art, and Danish literature. in
verse and prose, may claim to rank with
the literature of languages spoken by
the leading races of modern times.
THE DANISH GOVERNMENT.
In early times the government of Den
mark was far from despotic; the success
sion to the crown was even elective until
the revolution of 1860. at then.'' saws
E.W. GOsse {Denmark' in Encyclopedia
Britannica, "became entirely without
constitutional check upon the will of the
king" Since that year the power of
the crown has continued without par
lament or any constitutional check
whatever. But when Frederick VII,
the only son of Christian WILL, whom
he succeeded in January, 1S4S, came to
the throne, he at once promised to re-
sign the nearly absolute power which
had hitherto been connected with the
crown. Accordingly charter was drawn
up on June ), 1919, by an assembly
elected for that purpose, and signed by
the king, Frederick VII. The charter
acknowledged the principle of constitu-
tiOnal monarchy, the king sharing his
power with diet of two houses, both of
which are elective. The first, called
folkething, has the privilege of discuss
ing the budget and other public ques-
tions, while the other is confined to the
local affairs of the provinces. Also the
liberty of religion and of the press, and
the indiviSability of person and prop
erty were amply guaranteed by the new
constitution. Thus, the Danes, with no
sacrifice or efforts of their own, were
placed in the attainment OF degree of
political independence and constitu-
tional security not exceeded in
any other European country Thus
the celebration Of Danish indie
pendence, or rather interdepend-
ence. historically originated! The
constitutional charter above spoken
of received further revision on the
2Sth of July, 1866, according to which
the second chamber, called the lands
ahing, consists OF. siXty-siX members,
twelve of whom are nominated for life
by the king, and the others elected for
eight years, seven by the city of Copen-
hagen, forty-fve by the different elect
0rNl districts Of tile towns and country.
one by Bornholm and one by the Farce
islands. The Folkething is composed of
one representative for every 10000 in
habitants, elected for three years. In
1875, for instance, it contained 102 men,
bers. The privy council consists of the